Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2016 with funding from Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center https://archive.org/details/newmcguffeythirdOOmcgu THE NEW McGrUFFEY THIRD READER NEW YORK CINCINNATI CHICAGO AMERICAN BOOK COMPANY Copyright, 1901, by AMERICAN BOOK COMPANY. Entered at Stationers’ Hall, London. New McGuf. Third R. E-P 5 PREFACE. The present revision of Me Guffey's Readers has been made with due recognition of the advancement that has taken place in methods of instruction since the appearance of the former revision somewhat more than twenty years ago. While embodying those features which represent the latest and best ideas relative to the theory and art of teaching reading, this new edition retains the distinguishing char- acteristics which have given to the McGuffey Readers a more wide- spread and enduring popularity than has ever been attained by any other series of school text-books. More than half of the selections used are new to the series, and all have been carefully revised and adapted in conformity with the general plan of this revision. The aim has been, while avoiding experiments and whatever may prove to be of short-lived interest, to hold fast to those things that are worthiest and most valuable, whether new or old. Lessons inculcating worthy ideas in regard to right thinking and right doing form a considerable portion of the contents of this book. Stories relating to common objects and phenomena of nature are so presented as to encourage habits of observation and inquiry. Selec- tions from the most popular writers for young people are given, and the pupils are introduced to a few of the best and most enduring productions in. modern literature. The transition from the preceding book is without any break or unexpected difficulty; and care has been taken throughout the vol- ume to make the pupil’s progress evenly gradual. Only a few new words are used in each selection, and in the first half of the volume all such as would present the slightest difficulty to the learner are given in an appropriate word list at the head of the lesson. These $ the pupils should learn to recognize by sight, as well as to spell and pronounce by the aid of the diacritical marks that accompany them. In the latter part of the book, the difficult words are defined in a list at the end of the lesson, thus affording ready assistance to the pupil while preparing for the recitation. The brief Introduction, relating to the principles of good reading, is intended to afford to the teacher some suggestions for a series of practical lessons to be presented from time to time as occasion may demand. 4 CONTENTS. Introduction PAGB 7 Wild Strawberries 13 The Lark’s Nest 17 True Duncan 21 The Boy and the Wolf 25 Let it Rain 27 This is the Way 29 The Old Slate 30 Good Morning 35 Nature’s Voices 36 The Purple Jar . . . . 38 A Song 44 Doing a Kindness 45 The Fishhawk 48 Do your Duty 50 The Echo 51 The Country Lad and the River 55 The Wind 56 Stick to your Bush 57 A Plucky Boy 60 The Signs of the Seasons 64 The Seven Sons 65 A Famous Story Book 67 Rover 71 The Three Kingdoms 75 Grandmother’s Clock 77 Weighing an Elephant 79 Kind Hearts 83 Which loved Best 85 Stories about Parrots 86 Honesty is Best 89 5 The Arab and his Camel . The Little Doves Robert Bruce and the Spider Filling up the Quagmire . Hurrah for the Flag . Good-night and Good-morning . The Twenty -third Psalm . The Arrow and the Song . The Waves .... The Golden Eagle The Chickadee .... The Snowbird’s Song Which was the Wiser? What would I do ? . The Little Loaf .... Trustworthy and True Hassan and his Horse The Night before Christmas True Courage .... Try, try again .... Our Native Land The Contented Boy . The Race of the Winds Little Gustava .... The Blackbirds .... The Brown Thrush . The Declaration of Independence America The Lamb and the Wild Beasts Mr. Big Foot .... Little Brown Hands . The Best Recommendation To-morrow . The Hero of Haarlem Philemon and Baucis The Humming-bird Moth . We are Seven .... Black Beauty .... 91 94 96 100 105 106 108 109 109 114 118 120 123 126 127 130 134 139 144 147 149 150 154 160 163 169 171 174 175 177 182 184 187 189 194 201 204 208 6 INTRODUCTION. GOOD READING. A good reader is always listened to with attention and pleasure ; a poor reader never satisfies himself or those who hear him. The reasons for this are plain. The good reader has a quick eye to know every word at sight ; he has. a ready control of his voice, and therefore pro- nounces distinctly and correctly; his mind is alert to catch the meaning of that which he reads, and hence it is easy for him to make his hearers understand and enjoy.. To him reading is a delight ; it is merely talking from the book. On the other hand, the poor reader has not learned to recognize words quickly and easily ; new words are to him like the faces of strangers, and he finds it hard to know them. He must even guess at some of the com- moner words that ought to be familiar to him. All this gives him so much trouble that his eye has not the time to run forward and take in the meaning of the whole sentence while his voice is still on the first words. He therefore stumbles along from word to word, and does not understand much of that which he is trying to read. Do you think it is any wonder that he cannot make others understand it? Reading is to him an irksome task; it is the hardest kind of work, and he finds no pleasure in 7 it. His hearers are weary of him before he has labored through a single sentence ; they do not like to listen to him. Every person ought to become a good reader, both because of the pleasure that may be gotten from books and because of the knowledge that can be gained only by reading. It is true that most of your reading will be silent reading ; but if you cannot read aloud well enough to make your hearers understand and enjoy, your silent reading will be a mere stumbling over words, and all book learning will be a task. It is quite easy for some children to learn to read well, while for others it is very difficult, — just as it is easy for one boy to learn to catch a bail and very hard for another. But there is no reason why even the poorest reader should not try his utmost to improve. This he may do by pay- ing careful attention to many things. In order to recognize every word at sight, you must have much careful practice. Do not guess at words, but .study them until their appearance is as familiar to you SiS the faces of your schoolmates and friends. Study the new words at the head of each lesson ; study them also as they appear in connection with other words in the lesson itself. To be able to pronounce every word correctly, learn the meaning of the diacritical marks that are used with those in the word lists. Let your eye run quickly from the beginning of a sen- tence to its end, so that you may grasp its meaning before your voice has had time to speak the words. Practice first with short sentences, then with longer and still longer ones. Study each reading lesson silently and carefully, try- 8 ing to know every word and to understand every thought, before you are called upon to read it aloud. And then remember that good reading is just like good talking, and let the tones of your voice be as free from restraint as though you had no book in your hand, but were merely telling something to your schoolmates. EMPHASIS. In reading and in talking we always speak some words with more force than others. We do this because the meaning of what we say depends most upon these words. If I wish to know whether it is George or his brother who is sick, I speak the words G-eorge and brother with more force than the other words. I say, Is it George or his brother who is sick ? This greater force with which we speak the words is called emphasis. The words upon which emphasis is put are sometimes printed in slanting letters, called Italics , but in most cases the reader must determine for himself, by the meaning of the sentence, what words must be spoken with greater force. EXERCISE. The words printed in Italics in the following questions and answers should be read with more force than the other words ; that is, with emphasis. Did you ride to town yesterday? No, my brother did. Did you ride to town yesterday? No, I walked. Did you ride to town yesterday? No, I went into the country. Did you ride to town yesterday ? No, I went the day before. 9 / Have you seen James or John lately ? I have seen James , but not John. Did you say there were four eggs in the nest, or three ? There were only three eggs, not four. W ere the eggs white or blue ? The eggs were white , not blue. Had the boy a hat on his head or a cap ? He had a cap on, not a hat . PUNCTUATION. MARKS AND PAUSES. These marks are used to point off written or printed matter into sentences and parts of sentences, and thus to assist the reader in obtaining the meaning of the writer. They seldom indicate the length, of the pause to be made; this must be determined by the sense. A Hyphen (-) is used between syllables in a word divided at the end of a line; as, “ kins-folk,” “even-ing,” page 19, and between the parts of a compound word ; as, — There would be no good-for-nothing examples. The Comma (,), Semicolon (;), and Colon (:) mark grammatical divisions in a sentence ; as, — Good-morning, good-morning ; our work is begun. He said kindly : “ Duncan, you are a brave boy.” A Period (.) is placed at the end of a sentence ; as, — God is love. Stick to your bush. A period is also used after an abbreviation ; as, — Mr. Day. Dr. Franklin. An Interrogation Point (?) denotes a question; as, — Do you think so? What does it mean when the days are short ? An Exclamation Point (!) denotes strong feeling; as, — • Oh, mother, do tell us what it was ! The Dash ( — ) is used where there is a sudden break or pause in a sentence ; as, — ■ And said, — “ Dear work, good-night ! ” Quotation Marks (“ ”) denote the words of another; as, — “Seven in all,'’ she said. An Apostrophe (’) denotes that a letter or letters are left out ; as, — ’Tis a lesson you should heed. That’s what I’d do. It is also used to show ownership ; as, — Grandmother’s Clock. Helen’s book. DIACRITICAL MARKS. The long sounds of the vowels are shown as follows : — a, as in gate. e, as in she. a, u care. e, 44 her. a, u arm. b 44 Ice. a, u last. 5 44 cold. a, It ball. h, 44 use. f as in fly. II The short sounds of the vowels are marked thus : — a, as in am. b, as in dog. e, a pet. h, u up. h a in. % it myth. ;r sounds are shown by still other marks, as : a, as in what. o, as in to. e, a there. o, a fork. i, a sir. d, a v ork. b, a son. q, a full. ?’ a wolf. u, a burn. u, as in rude. Some of the consonants also have two or more sounds, and are marked as follows : — e, as in can, has the same sound as k. S, “ ige “ “ 44 44 44 S. u gem, u “ “ “ “ j‘ n, “ think, “ « 44 44 ng. s, u jg a a a a 44 z. Sometimes two vowels are required to form a single sound, as : — 00 in room. • do 44 look. 01 “ toil. oy in boy. ou 44 round. • ' ow “ cow. Sometimes two consonants are required to form a single sound, as, — th in thin, th u this. sh in shell, gh 44 laugh. ph in el'e phant. ch “ church THIRD READER. haul banks heap mo'ment dm'ner bunch taste hap'pi ness scar'let gen'tly quit ripe'ness^ WILD STRAWBERRIES. George’s mother was very poor, and so, although he was quite a small boy, he had to help her in every way he could. In sum- mer, instead of playing with the other boys, 13 he often found work to do with a farmer who lived almost a mile from the village. One fine day in June, the farmer sent George to an old field at the back of the farm to pick up stones. Since the field was so far from the house, the little boy carried his dinner with him in a tin pail. He was to stay alone all day, for the farmer knew that he would work well. The morning was bright and warm, and George kept very busy. After a time the sun was so high that he knew it must be noon, and he began to think about his dinner. Near one end of the field there was a brook, and on its banks were some trees which made a pleasant shade. George thought that this would be a fine place in which to rest and eat, and spend the noon hour. While he was looking around, he saw not far from the brook some fine, wild strawber- ries, that were a bright scarlet with ripeness. “How good these will be with, my bread and butter! ” thought George; and he set to work to gather all he could find. He picked 14 as many as he could hold in both hands, and then seated himself in the shade of a treer It was a pleasant place, and George felt very happy. He put the strawberries on a bunch of green moss by his side, and then opened his dinner pail. He thought how much his mother would like to see him there, and to be there herself, instead of in her dark, little cottage in the village. As he was thinking this, he lifted the first strawberry to his mouth. “ How much mother would like these,” he said to himself; and then he stopped, and put the strawberry back. “Shall I save them for her?” said he, thinking how much good they would do her, yet still looking at them with longing eyes. “ I will eat half, and take the other half to her,? said he at last; and he put them on the moss in two heaps. But each heap looked so small, that he put them together again. “I will only taste one,” thought he; but, as he again lifted it to his mouth, he saw that he had taken the finest, and he put it 15 back. “I will keep them all for her,” said he, and he lined the tin pail with leaves, and put the berries into it very carefully. Then he left it in a cool place till he should go home. When the sun was almost down, George quit his work for the day and started home. How happy he was, to think that he had all his strawberries for his mother. The nearer he came to his home, the less he wished to taste them. Just as he reached the door he heard his mother’s voice calling him from the next room, “Is that you, George? I am glad you have come, for I have been very lonely all day.” George ran in and gave her his wild straw- berries. “ And you saved them for your sick mother, did- you ? ” said she, laying her hand gently on his head, while the tears stood in her eyes. “ God will bless you for all this, my child.” Could the eating of the strawberries have given George half the happiness he felt at that moment? 16 sir killed a wake' prom'ised lark owned waste neigh 'bors fail begged sad 'die kins'folk reap. shake mind our selves' THE LARK’S NEST. In a field of wheat there was a Lark’s nest, and in the nest there were four young Larks almost large enough to fly. One morning when the mother Lark was going out for some- thing to eat she said to her little ones, “Keep your eyes open to-day, my children.” “What do you mean by that, mother?” asked the little Larks. “ I will tell you. The wheat is now ready to be cut, and the reapers may come into the field at any time. We must be ready to move as soon as they begin their work. So you must keep wide awake, and when I come home tell me all that you see or hear.” NEW McGUF. THIRD — 2 17 The little Larks promised that they would do so, and the mother flew singing away. She was hardly out of sight when the Farmer who owned the field came with his son to look at the wheat. “ I tell you what, John,” he said, “it is time that this wheat was cut. Go round to our neighbors this evening and ask them to come to-morrow and help us.” When the mother Lark came home the little ones told her what they had heard ; and they were so badly frightened that they begged her to move them out of the field at once. “There is no hurry,” she said. “If he waits for his neighbors to come, he will have to wait a long time. We will not move till your wings are a little stronger.” The next day, while the mother Lark was away, the Farmer and his son came again. “ John, did you ask our neighbors to come ? ” said the Farmer. “ Yes, sir,” answered John, “ and they prom- ised to be here early this morning.” “ I wonder why they do not come,” said 18 the Farmer. “The sun is now high in the sky, and not one of them has come near the field. We will wait for them a little while.” And so the Farmer and his son waited in the field until almost noon, and still no one came to help them. “ Well, John,” said the Farmer, “it seems that our neighbors have failed us, and we must now call in our kins- folk. Go and saddle your horse and ride round to all your uncles and cousins and tell them to be sure to come to-morrow and help us reap this wheat.” The young Larks were very much fright- ened when they heard this, and in the even- ing they told their mother all about it. 19 “Mother,” they said, “we shall be killed if we stay here another day. Our wings "are strong enough ; let us fly away right now.” “ Don’t be in a hurry,” said the mother. “ If the Farmer waits for his kinsfolk, the wheat will not be cut to-morrow. The uncles and cousins have their own wheat to look after.” She went out again the next day, but told the little Larks to keep as wide awake as before. Towards noon the Farmer and his son came into the field. “ See how late in the day it is,” said the Farmer, “and not a man has come to help us.” “ And the wheat is so ripe that it is all falling down and going to waste,” said his son. “Yes,” said the Farmer, “and neither our neighbors nor our kinsfolk have come to help us. I see there is no other way but to do the work ourselves. Let us go home and get everything ready, and to-morrow, before the sun is up, we will come and begin.” 20 The mother Lark came home quite early that day, and the little Larks told her all that they had heard. “ Now, indeed, it is time for us to be off,” she said. “ Shake your wings and get ready to fly ; for when a man makes up his mind to do his own work, it is pretty sure to be done.” tale chair dead throw re glte' al'ters f al'ters cheers butch'er wheth'er be lieve' de geive' false 'hood chop'ping wliis'pered voige twists si 'lent re ward' ap prove" TRUE DUNCAN. y 1 once knew a boy whose name was Duncan. His playmates called him True Duncan, be- cause he would never tell a lie. One day he was playing with an ax in the yard of the school, and while he was chopping a stick the teacher's cat came running by. Duncan did not see the cat, but let the ax fall on her head. 21 Poor Pussy was killed by the stroke. She was the teacher’s pet, and often sat on a chair by his side while he was hearing the boys recite their lessons. Duncan stood and looked at the dead crea- ture. His face grew red, and the tears stood in his eyes. He did not know what to do. The other boys came running up, and every one had something to say. One of them whis- pered to his mates and said, “ Now we shall see whether Duncan will tell the truth, or whether he will not try to get out of trouble by telling a falsehood.” Tom Jones stepped up and said: “ Here, boys, I will throw the cat out into the street, and then you can tell the teacher that the butcher’s dog killed her. You know that he 22 ran after her last week, and he kills every cat he can catchy Some of them thought this would be a good plan. But Duncan would not let Tom touch the cat. His lips trembled, and his face became very red. “No,” said he, “no! Do you think I would tell a falsehood like that? It would be a lie, a lie , a lie ! ” And every time he said the word his voice grew louder and louder. Then he picked up the dead pet, and car- ried it into the schoolroom. Tom Jones and some of the other boys followed him, to see what would be done. The teacher was at his desk ; but when he heard the boys, he looked up. “ What is this!” he cried. “Who could have killed .my poor pussy? ” All were silent for a little while. Then Duncan spoke up and said: “Mr. Day, I am very sorry, but I will tell you the truth. I killed her. I should have been more careful ; but I let the ax fall on her as she was run- 23 ning past me. Indeed, I am very sorry that it happened.” The boys expected to see the teacher be- come very angry. But instead of doing so he smiled, and said kindly : “ Duncan, you are a brave boy ! I was standing at the window, and saw and heard all that passed. Your best reward is in the thought that you have done right by speaking the truth.” The boys about the door could not keep still. ‘‘Three cheers for True Duncan! ” they cried. “ He is as true as gold.” “My boys,” said the teacher, “I am glad that you know what is right, and that you approve it. Learn that it is never right nor wise to tell a falsehood, and remember the lesson that True Duncan has taught you to-day. “ He that falters, Twists or alters In his tale the smallest part, May deceive me, But, believe me, He will never win my heart.” 24 wolf grieved ear'nest sign third vil'lage be longed' sin'gle THE BOY AND THE WOLF. 'A boy was once taking care of some sheep, not far from a forest. Near by was a village, and he was told to call for help if there was any danger. 25 One day, thinking he would have some fun, he cried out, with all his might, “ The wolf is coming! the wolf is coming! ” The men came running with guns and axes to kill the wolf. When they saw that they had been deceived, they went home again, and left John laughing to himself. As he had had so much fun this time, John cried out again the next day, “The wolf! the wolf ! ” The men came again, but not so many as before. They were angry when they saw no sign of the wolf; and went slowly back to their work. On the third day, the wolf came in earnest. John cried in great fright, “Help! help! the wolf ! the wolf ! ” but not a single man came to help him. The wolf killed many sheep, and carried away a beautiful lamb that belonged to John. Then he felt very sorry that he had de- ceived his friends and neighbors, and grieved over the loss of his pet lamb. The truth itself is not believed, From one who often has deceived. 26 7 dull grind quench daughter dried thirst wreaths question LET IT RAIN. Rose . See how it rains! Oh dear, dear, dear! how dull it is! Must I stay in doors all day? Father . Rose, are you sorry that you had any bread and butter for breakfast this morning? Rose. Why, father, what a question ! I should be sorry, indeed, if I could not get any. Father. Are you sorry, my daughter, when you see the flowers and the trees growing in the garden ? Rose. Sorry? No, indeed. Just now I wished very much to g p out and see them, — they look so pretty. Father. Well, are you sorry when you see the horses, cows, or sheep drinking at the brook to quench their thirst? Rose. Oh, father! you must think I am a cruel girl to wish that the poor horses that work so hard, the beautiful cows that give so much good milk, and the pretty lambs should always be thirsty. 27 Father . Do you not think they would die if they had no water to drink ? Rose . Yes, sir, I am sure they would. Father . I thought little Rose was sorry it rained. Do you think the trees and flowers would grow if they never had any water on them? Rose . No, indeed, father, they would be dried up by the sun. Then we should not have any pretty flowers to look at, and to make into wreaths for mother. Father . I thought you were sorry it rained* Rose, what is our bread made of ? Rose. It is made of flour, and the flour is made from wheat, which is ground in the mill. Father. Yes, Rose, and it was rain that helped to make the wheat grow, and it was water that turned the mill to grind the wheat. I thought little Rose was sorry it rained. Rose. I did not think of all these things, father. I am truly very glad to see the rain falling./ 28 iiawns ros'y tints frown lawns tin'kle fold dew'drops whirl lance boughg chim'ney THIS IS THE WAY. This is the way the morning dawns: Rosy tints on flowers and trees, Winds that wake the birds and bees, Dewdrops on the fields and lawns — This is the way the morning dawns. This is the way the rain comes down : Tinkle, tinkle, drop by drop, Over roof and chimney top ; Boughs that bend and skies that frown — This is the way the rain comes down. 29 This is the way the river flows : Here a whirl and there a dance, Slowly now, then like a lance ; Swiftly to the sea it goes — This is the way the river flows. This is the way the birdie sings : Little birdies in the nest, You I surely love the best ; Over you I fold my wings — This is the way the birdie sings. , pen'gil fig'ures eas'i er pout'ed sup pose' “ I have a great mind to break this old slate, ” said little Charles one morning, as he was studying his lesson in arithmetic. “Why, what has the poor slate done?” asked the pleasant voice of his sister Helen. break ex am 'pie / six teen' slate cal'cu late de pend' blame prob'lem wick'ed fault a nth 'me tic neg lect' cop'y thought'less/ re fused' -L THE OLD SLATE. 30 “ Nothing. It won't do this hard example for me, and here it is almost school time ! 77 “ What a wicked slate, Charles ! 77 “ So it is. I would like to throw it out of the window, and break it to pieces on the stones.77 “ Will that do your example, Charlie? 77 “No, but if there were no slates in the world, there would be no good-for-nothing examples to do.77 “ Oh, ho ! How is that? Did slates make arithmetic? Would people never have to count and calculate if there were no slates?77 “Well, at any rate, I don’t like these hard questions in arithmetic. I don’t see what good they can do.77 “ And for that reason you get angry with the poor slate! Now, that is the way with thoughtless people. When things do not please them, they get angry and find fault with everything around them, without stop- ping to think that it is themselves that ought to bear the blame. Now, Charlie, let me see what I can do to help you.” 31 J So Helen sat down in her mother’s easy chair, trying to look very grave and wise, although she was but sixteen. Charles laid the slate on her lap, and stood by her while she looked at it. “ Why, what is this? ” said Helen. “ Here I see soldiers, and cats, and dogs, and houses with windows of all shapes and sizes. But where are your figures?” “ Oh, they are on the other side,” said Charles, turning the slate over. “ But they won’t come out right.” 32 “ How long have you been trying to make them come out right ?” “ Oh, not very long. It’s too hard work.” “ And how long have you been making pictures, because that was easier?” Charles hung his head and did not answer. “ Now, my little man,” said Helen, “you must go to work in good earnest, and make up for lost time. It is all well enough to draw pictures ; but there is a right time and a wrong time for everything. And you must not neglect to do a hard task, just because it is easier to do something else. Come, now, let me see what you can do with this ques- tion.” “ Oh, sister, it is now half-past eight. I can’t do all this work and get to school by nine. I shall be late. What shall I do? Won’t you do the work for me? Just this once, Helen?” “No, indeed,” said Helen. “ Oh, do! there’s a dear, good sister! Just this once ! ” “ No, Charlie, you would never learn arith- NEW McGUF. THIRD — 3 33 metic in that way. If I should do this for you to-day, you would find it harder to be refused to-morrow. “You will spend your time drawing pic- tures, and then depend upon me to do your hard work. No ; but I will do a much kinder thing for you — I will keep you close at it till the lesson is mastered. ” So she drew the little boy close to her, and although he pouted at first, she soon had him busy at work. She questioned him about the hard points in the problem, and led him to see the right way to work them out. At first she held the pencil herself, and * put down the figures as he told her to do, and then she made him copy the whole nicely on another part of the slate. When all was finished, Charles was sur- prised to find that he still had plenty of time to reach school before nine o’clock. “ Now, to-morrow, Charlie,” said Helen, “be sure to do your hard work first and don’t get angry with your slate because it won’t help you.” 34 As Charles ran to school, he thought to himself; “Well, I suppose I was wrong both ways. I ought not to have spent all my time in drawing pictures, which is easy and pleasant ; and I ought to have done my best with those problems, which seem so hard for me to understand. After this I shall do my hardest work first, and then I can enjoy my play.” Heav'en dew-pearled' snail hill 'side GOOD MORNING. The year’s at the spring, And day’s at the morn ; Morning’s at seven ; The hillside’s dew-pearled ; The lark’s on the wing ; The snail’s on the thorn ; God’s in his Heaven — All’s right with the world. — Robert Browning. 35 pat'ter beau'ti fy rip'ple breeze glim'mer twin 'kl e chant dai'sies NATURE’S VOICES. “ I shine/’ says the sun, “ To give the world light.” ‘I glimmer,” adds the moon, “ To beautify the night.” “ I ripple,” says the brook ; “ I whisper,” sighs the breeze. “ I patter,” laughs the rain ; “We rustle,” call the trees. “ We dance,” nod the daisies ; “I twinkle,” shines the star. “We sing,” chant the birds; “ How happy we all are ! ” “I smile,” cries the child, Gentle, good, and gay — The sweetest thing of all, The sunshine of each day. — Louisa M. Alcott. 36 Gentle , Good , awe? Gay . 37 ^clrug' worn pour pleas'antly pur'ple col'ored plain Ros'amond per haps' your self^ worse ev'er y things THE PURPLE JAR. i. Rosamond was a little girl about seven years old. One day she was walking on the street with her mother. As she went along, she looked at the pretty things that were in the store windows. They passed a toy shop, and she said, “ Oh, mother ! how happy I would be if I had all those toys ! 77 “What,” said her mother, “would you like to have all of them? 77 “Yes, mother, all of them.77 It was so with many other windows. Rosa- mond wanted to have all that she saw. At last they came to a window which seemed to her far more beautiful than any other. It was the window of a drug store, but Rosamond did not know it. 38 44 Oh, gnother!” she cried. 44 See there! Blue, green, red, yellow, and purple ! Do you see those beautiful jars? I wish you would buy one of them for me.” But her mother said, 44 Of what use would it be to you ? ” “ I could put flow- ers in it,” said Rosa- mond. 44 But you have a flower pot,” said her mother, 44 and per- haps if you had this purple j ar, you would not like it.” 44 Yes, I would,” said Rosamond ; and she kept looking at the purple jar. 44 But perhaps, mother, you have no money.” 44 1 have a little money,” said her mother. 44 Well, if I had money, I would buy roses, and balls, and hoops, and purple flower pots, and many other pretty things.” 39 Her mother did not say anything, ^and they went on.^ ii. Soon Rosamond said: “ Oh, mother, please stop a minute. There is a stone in my shoe.” “ How came there a stone in your shoe? ” “Why, mother, there is a hole in my shoe. My shoes are quite worn out. I wish you would buy me a new pair.” “ But, Rosamond,” said her mother, “ I have not money enough to buy you shoes, and purple flower pots, and hoops, and balls, and everything else.” In a little while they came to another window. “There, there, mother!” said Rosamond. “There is a shoe store! You know that I need shoes very much.” “ So you do,” said her mother. They went into the store. Rosamond looked around. “ Oh, there is a pair of shoes that will just fit me,” she said. “Perhaps so,” said her mother. “But you cannot tell until you have tried them 40 on. It is so, too, with the purple jar: you cannot be quite sure you would like it, even if you had it in your hands.77 “ I know I am not sure about the shoes,77 said Rosamond ; “ but I would like the purple jar.77 v.